The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for putting a cylindrical film tube over an object such as a container or the like, and more particularly relates to such a method and apparatus in which the film tube is supplied in a collapsed form, with its two sides touching one another, so as to be like a flat sheet.
In the process of putting a film cylinder over an object, very often the film cylinder is cut from a roll of material by a cutter. In this case, the film cylinder is supplied in a collapsed form, with its two sides touching one another, like a flat sheet or piece of ribbon. The problem has therefore arisen, in this process, of opening out the collapsed cylinder. Especially when the wrapping of the object is to be performed quickly, and a large number of objects must be wrapped sequentially at high speed, this problem can be quite difficult. The matter is further complicated by the fact that the two sides of the collapsed tube may rather tend to stick to one another, especially if the material is soft and flexible, such as plastic or polyethylene tube, or is electrified somewhat, or has been stored on a roll for a long time before use. This sticking together of the two sides of the tube must be broken in some reliable and efficient way.